Attaching Multiple Phone Lines to a Single Mobile or Landline Phone

• US 20130208878A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callyo 2009 Corp. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: World Emergency Network-Nevada Limited
• Inventors: Bennett, Christopher Ryan
• Granted Patent: US 9,998,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/66 user interface aspects for indicating selection options for a communication line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42238 in systems with telephone lines with multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

Agencies issue multiple devices to personnel for maintaining distinct identities over the course of assigned investigations. To provide flexible capabilities to agencies, a phone is converted for use with multiple attached telephone numbers. Accordingly, a single phone may be used to manage multiple identities over the course of one or more investigations. Using a multiple attached number, a given device can place and receive calls over the network to and from contacts. In addition to providing multiple attached numbers, calls using the multiple attached numbers may be monitored live and recorded to establish evidence.

Claims

1. A computer based method comprising:

receiving information in response to a request from a telephonic device to communicate with a virtual number associated with an operator device, the information including device information corresponding to the telephonic device and the virtual number;

identifying the telephonic device as the operator device or a contact device based on a comparison of the device information of the telephonic device with device information stored in association with the virtual number in a mapping table;

in response to identifying the telephonic device as the contact device or the operator device, transmitting instructions for establishing a first connection between the contact device and the operator device for transmitting audio; and

automatically transmitting instructions for establishing a second connection with a monitoring device, the second connection permitting the monitoring device to receive audio communications between the contact device and the operator device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the telephonic device as the contact device comprises transmitting instructions for connecting the contact device with the operator device associated with the virtual number to establish the first connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the telephonic device as the operator device comprises receiving information including device information corresponding to a contact device and transmitting instructions for connecting the operator device with the contact device through the virtual number to establish the first connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second connection is configured to prevent the contact device and the monitoring device from receiving audio from the monitoring device for the duration of the second connection.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the duration of the second connection comprises dialing the monitoring device and providing the audio communications to the monitoring device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the duration of the second connection comprises providing the audio communications to the monitoring device and terminating the second connection.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the duration of the second connection comprises dialing the monitoring device, providing the audio communications to the monitoring device and terminating the second connection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions establishing the second connection permitting the monitoring device to receive audio communications include instructions for connecting the monitoring device with a second virtual number and passing audio communications between the operator device and contact device to the second virtual number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions establishing the second connection permitting the monitoring device to receive audio communications include instructions for connecting the monitoring device with the virtual number and passing audio communications between the operator device and contact device to the second virtual number.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein device information includes a transmitting number of the telephonic device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the telephonic device is identified as the operator device in response to a match between a transmitting number of the telephonic device with a transmitting number stored in association with the virtual number in a mapping table.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the telephonic device is identified as the contact device in response to a lack of match between a transmitting number of the telephonic device with a transmitting number stored in association with the virtual number in a mapping table.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

provisioning the virtual number based on number information received for the virtual number;

receiving mapping information for the virtual number, the mapping information including a transmitting number corresponding to the operator device; and

storing the virtual number in the mapping table as a receiving number in association with the transmitting number corresponding to the operator device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the virtual number to playback a specified ring tone when the telephonic device requests to communicate with the virtual number; and

in response to the mapping table identifying the telephonic device requesting to connect to the virtual number as the contact device, transmitting instructions for continuing to play the specified ring tone for the contact device until the connection between the contact device and the operator device is established.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the specified ring tone spoofs the physical location of the operator device.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the specified ring tone spoofs the physical location of the operator device.

16. A system comprising:

a server comprising one or more processors and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer program code, the computer program code when executed performing steps comprising;

receiving information in response to a request from a telephonic device to communicate with a virtual number associated with an operator device, the information including device information corresponding to the telephonic device and the virtual number;

identifying the telephonic device as the operator device or a contact device based on a comparison of the device information of the telephonic device with device information stored in association with the virtual number in a mapping table;

in response to identifying the telephonic device as the contact device or the operator device, transmitting instructions for establishing a first connection between the contact device and the operator device for transmitting audio; and

automatically transmitting instructions for establishing a second connection with a monitoring device, the second connection permitting the monitoring device to receive audio communications between the contact device and the operator device.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a second server comprising one or more processors and a computer-readable storage medium storing computer program code, the computer program code when executed performing steps comprising;

identifying connection requests from telephonic devices to the virtual number;

receiving instructions for dialing out to a device;

establishing a connection between a contact device and operator device; and

recording audio received from the contact device and the operator device.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein identifying the telephonic device as the contact device comprises transmitting instructions for connecting the contact device with the operator device associated with the virtual number to establish the first connection.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein identifying the telephonic device as the operator device comprises receiving information including device information corresponding to a contact device and transmitting instructions for connecting the operator device with the contact device through the virtual number to establish the first connection.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the second connection is configured to prevent the contact device and the monitoring device from receiving audio from the monitoring device for the duration of the second connection.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions establishing the second connection permitting the monitoring device to receive audio communications include instructions for connecting the monitoring device with a second virtual number and passing audio communications between the operator device and contact device to the second virtual number.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions establishing the second connection permitting the monitoring device to receive audio communications include instructions for connecting the monitoring device with the virtual number and passing audio communications between the operator device and contact device to the second virtual number.

23. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

configuring the virtual number to playback a specified ring tone when the telephonic device requests to communicate with the virtual number; and

in response to the mapping table identifying the telephonic device requesting to connect to the virtual number as the contact device, transmitting instructions for continuing to play the specified ring tone for the contact device until the connection between the contact device and the operator device is established.

25. A computer based method comprising:

configuring a virtual number to playback a specified ring tone when a telephonic device requests to communicate with the virtual number, the virtual number associated with an operator device and the specified ring tone spoofing the location of the operator device;

receiving information in response to a request from the telephonic device to communicate with the virtual number, the information including device information corresponding to the telephonic device and the virtual number, and the telephonic device receiving audio corresponding to the specified ring tone;

identifying the telephonic device as the operator device or a contact device based on a comparison of the device information of the telephonic device with device information stored in association with the virtual number in a mapping table; and

in response to identifying the telephonic device as the contact device, transmitting first instructions for establishing a first connection between the contact device and the virtual number and transmitting second instructions for establishing a second connection between the operator device and the virtual number, the first instructions causing the specified ring time to continue playing for the contact device until the second connection between the operator device and the virtual number is established.